In an instant
by Devoregirl
Summary: Life can change in an instant. WARNING: death fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Read the authors note at the bottom of the page for warnings.. though it will kinda ruin the whole thing for you. No slash. Please R&R! Oh btw, Matt Bomer calls the tracking anklet Candy so I borrowed the name :P**

**Disclaimer: White Collar doesn't belong to me, neither do its characters. I still don't know why Neal isn't mine, though. Maybe that's why I love causing him pain in my fics. MUAHAHA! **

**This story hasn't been beta-ed, all mistakes are mine. Please feel free to point them out.**

Cheers erupted in the bullpen as the clock struck midnight and Peter removed 'Candy' from around Neal's ankle. His CI's four years were up, Neal was finally free. He tousled his young partners hair fondly, a proud smile on his face as he pulled Caffrey in for a hug. Both of them holding each other tightly for a few seconds, they had made it. Four years ago, the mere idea that the two men would be so close would have been scoffed at. Now, they were almost inseparable. Neal being the son he never had and Peter filling in the role of Neal's father figure, who the younger man had always craved. They parted after their hug, arms slung around each other and eyes suspiciously bright with happiness as the people in Neal's 'Finally free' party gave in to a unified 'awww!' of delight and applause broke out once again.

No one heard the shot fired by the sniper on the opposite building. The bullet whizzed past the people in the bullpen, agents and civilians alike, and hit its target. Neal stumbled, a smile still on his face as blood began to blossom on his pristine white shirt. Peter caught his partner as he swayed, lowering him to the ground as blood continued to spurt from his partners chest.

There was so much blood. It was too much not to be a fatal wound but Peter quickly removed his jacket and pressed it against Neal's chest. The smile had left his partners face; his usually bright, alert eyes turning glassy as pain hit him and he gasped desperately for breath. Time had frozen for Peter as he gasped out empty platitudes, ignoring the tears streaming down his face as he tried to stem the flow of the red, life-giving liquid draining rapidly out of Neal's body.

"'ts 'kay." Neal gasped out, using the last of the air in his lungs to try to comfort Peter, weakly grabbing his partners arm where it pressed against his chest.

"Hang on, Neal. You're going to be fine."

"Srry." Neal slurred, his body convulsing before going slack. Peter felt his heart shatter as his best friends weak grip on his arm loosened, hand falling limply to his side. Neal's eyes were frozen forever in pain, glassy blue locked on to agonized brown. Neal caffrey was dead.

**A/N: Okay, so I thought I'd venture into the world of extreme h/c and ended up with a **_**death! Fic.**_** Feedback is much appreciated. Maybe I'll write another chapter..? Suggestions are welcome! And I know you totally hate me for killing off poor Neal but this just wrote itself!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is dedicated to Belive4Ever who was extremely helpful in making me get off my backside and finish what I started. **

Elizabeth Burke was getting ready for the arrival of her husband and his best friend. She, along with June and Sara, was waiting impatiently for them to arrive from the Bureau for the surprise party they had planned for Neal. They were planning a simple cake cutting ceremony and a few drinks; it wasn't much but they had to do something to mark the day their favorite con-man; (ex con-man) officially turned into a law abiding citizen.

El grinned to herself. Imagining Neal to be anything but a little devious was hoping for the impossible. After all, his mischief was a part of who he was and she didn't want him to change that. She was sure that he would always have something up his sleeve, and that was part of his charms. However, she was also sure that he had a good heart and he wouldn't do anything drastically illegal. Unless it was for the greater good. How many times had Neal broken the law to help out someone in need? She smiled fondly. She was proud of Neal, no matter what.

El's peaceful musings were interrupted by the shrill ringing of her phone. Her heels clicked on the wooden floorboards as she made her way to the dining table where she had left her phone. She picked it up and checked the called ID. It was Peter, probably calling to let them know that he and Neal were on their way. She smiled reassuringly at Sara and June who had halted their conversation regarding some charity organization to look at her. She mouthed 'Peter' and received the phone call that would change all of their lives forever.

**TBC**

**A/N: for all those who are following me, I'm sorry to have disappeared for so long. I had a constant stream of exams going on and I really didn't have any time to get any writing done. I just got donw with my semester finals and I have a few days off so any prompts/requests are welcome for this story or a new one. Thank you for bearing with me.**

**Feedback is always appreciated :-) **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I apologize in advance for any errors in the way I have written the funeral. Funerals are really different in my Religion so the chances of a mistake are pretty high. Please feel free to let me know if you find any.**

** I refer you to my story 'all we can do is keep breathing' for the part Diana mentioned in her speech.**

**Also, this story has an established relationship between Neal and Sara.**

The ride to the hospital had passed in a blur. Peter had sent Jones to bring the three women to the hospital. June sat in the middle with Sara and El on either side of her, all three of them holding on to one another. Forever united by the news of the loss of a loved one. June reflected on the events of the past half hour as a steady stream of tears trailed down her cheeks from eyes that looked too old in their grief.

She couldn't believe it. Her Neal was dead. How could fate be so cruel as to rip away the life of that lovely boy the very day he had finally been set free? She had always considered Neal to be her son since the very beginning when she had taken him in. It physically hurt her to think that the man she had set off with a hug and a kiss in the morning was gone forever. Neal, who had always volunteered to do odd jobs when her help was on their vacation, the man who had worn Byron's suits so well that she had felt the ache of loss that had come with the death of her husband lessen a bit. The boy who had recognized when she felt upset about something and had distracted her by taking her dancing to a nearby club. Neal, who had helped out when Samantha's chances of getting a kidney transplant turned to zero.

Neal had become a part of their lives in the four years he had known them. A part of their hearts. And now, he had been cruelly ripped away from them. June felt a sob tear from her chest as the true depth of the situation finally hit. Neal was gone forever. .

* * *

Time had lost all meaning to Sara since she saw El collapse in a chair, tears welling into her eyes as she told them that... No. It wasn't possible. He couldn't be gone. She had just woken up in his arms earlier that day! How could he be dead? It just couldn't be! There must be a mistake. Neal had fooled them all somehow. Yes, that must be it. It was a con. A final laugh before he retired from his life of crime.

Sara didn't know how she had gone from sitting in the Burke's living room, chatting pleasantly about something she could no longer recall to physically and emotionally numb. She pressed her head against the cool window of the car -car? When did she sit in a car?- She knew that tears were falling from her eyes but she couldn't feel anything yet. Why was she crying then? It made no sense. Nothing made any sense.

And then El was next to her as they walked inside the hospital to the room where Neal was. She didn't recall leaving the car. A distant part of her understood that she was in shock and that could be the reason that she was losing bits of her memory. But she couldn't bring herself to care.

Suddenly, (or maybe not so suddenly, Sara mused over her jumbled thoughts), they were in front of the door to room 221. Somebody gently pushed the door open and she saw Peter sitting by the bed, head clutched tightly in his hands as he stared at the still figure in bed. Sara took some time to observe Peter. She knew she was avoiding the inevitable and would eventually have to look at her lover but she couldn't stop the childish thought that it wasn't true until she saw it.

Elizabeth went to embrace her husband, both of them crying into each other's shoulders. She felt June hug her and gently nudge her forward. In spite of Neal and herself being very careful, apparently everyone knew about their relationship. And she was being given a chance to go to him and say goodbye.

It felt as though an iron band was squeezing her chest as she stepped forward, towards Neal. Then she was there, staring at the statuesque form of her boyfriend. For the first time in her adult life, Sara Ellis lost control.

* * *

Peter had known Sara Ellis for more than eight years. He had first gotten to know her at Neal's trial when the feisty woman had sat and quite literally shouted abuse at Neal. She had even reserved a few choice words for the con-man, letting him know exactly what she thought of him. He remembered being amused by her rant and recalled her calling Neal a 'sociopath' amongst other, more un-mentionable things. What caught his attention the most was that Neal seemed startled and a little irritated at her outburst; almost as if what she thought about him affected him at some level.

That's why no one was as surprised- or pleased- by the developing relationship between Neal and Sara. Even when they broke it off after the incident with the Nazi loot, Peter had hoped that they would sort out their differences. Neal was a good man but he needed an anchor to keep him out of trouble and on the right side of the law. So when it became obvious that Neal and Sara were together again "secretly", he was ecstatic. (It was ridiculously obvious that they were in a relationship and Peter would have called him on it. Only, El told him not to and he didn't want to get a lecture on tact so he kept his mouth shut.)

So now, watching the ever cool and collected Sara Ellis break down into hysterics as she saw the final proof that Neal was, in fact, gone was possibly even more difficult to bear witness to than watching Neal die. He stood by a little away to give her some space, but he couldn't make himself leave the room; still unable to tear his gaze away from his best friends face. He felt a lump rising in his throat at Sara's sobs as she lay besides Neal, clutching him close as she muttered incoherently. June and El were trying to comfort her to no avail. He could understand that. He would have been inconsolable had anything happened to his El.

When a nurse came in with a sympathetic smile and carrying a bad containing Neal's personal effects, Peter welcomed the distraction. He turned away from the tragic scene before him and walked to the window with a nearby table where he emptied the contents of the bag. A Rolex, Neal had expensive tastes. His wallet containing far more money than he was receiving from the FBI, along with a few credit cards. A receipt from the coffee shop where Neal had bought coffee and donuts for everyone earlier that day. Peter felt a lump rising in his throat. And then he saw a small, black velvet box and he felt like screaming at the unfairness of it all.

His voice wavered as he spoke. "There was a ring. He was going to propose."

* * *

I refer you to my story 'all we can do is keep breathing' for the part Diana mentioned in her speech.

The funeral was held a week later, on what turned out to be a surprisingly sunny day. What was even more surprising was the number of people who turned up to pay their respects to the late Neal Caffrey. There was the most random assortment of people present, from people Neal had helped as part of the FBI and people he had helped even during his life of crime. There were obviously friends present but there were loads of colleagues from FBI personnel to cops. There were even a few baristas Neal had befriended.

Elizabeth sat in the front row supporting an uncharacteristically haggard looking Sara. She looked very less like the woman she had been a week ago. Gone was the beautiful, fresh looking woman. In her place sat a vulnerable girl whose eyes were dulled by the grief and sorrow brought about by the loss of her boyfriend/ would be fiancé. She had unsurprisingly confided in El that she would have said yes.

After the priest said the sermon, he invited people to speak about the deceased.

"The first time I met Neal, he tried flirting with me." Diana started, giving a watery smile to all those seated and was greeted by numerous chuckles. Everyone knew that Neal had a tendency of being overly flirtatious. "That first day I thought of him as an extremely intelligent, smug, juvenile and annoying son-of –a-bitch. I still think he is- was-" there was a pause as Diana wiped away tears and collected herself before starting again, her voice wavering with emotion. "I still thought of him as all of those things. I also thought of him as a friend, one of my closest friends. He had a way of worming his way into people's hearts and making a permanent place there. He was one of the most brilliant people I know and he would never have been arrested had he not have had a weakness. His heart. Neal loved those close to him dearly and was willing to go to any extent for them. His ability to love was his saving grace because, at the end of the day, it made him a far more decent human being than most people are.

The second time I saw him when his girlfriend of that time, Kate Monroe had been murdered in a plane explosion. He had been so broken and yet he still tried to do good. Kate was gone but he had formed a bond with Peter and he didn't want to let him down. He never wanted to let him down. He chose to be on the right side of the law for that very reason.

On a more personal level, Neal has been... had been a very good friend to me. He often gave me a shoulder to cry on or gave me terrific advice about personal matters. He was a good man and he will be missed. He shall forever have a place in my heart. Thank you." And with that, Diana made her way down the stage greeted by a sea of faces with tears streaming down their faces.

The next person to go on stage was Jones. "A few years ago, Caffrey let out a rat in the office. I screamed like a girl and that annoying man made a video recording of that. He never let me hear the end of it. I'm gonna miss that." He sniffed. "I'm gonna miss him."

Then Peter stepped to the podium. " I had told Neal once to choose between being a con man and a man. I think it's pretty obvious to everyone present here what his choice was. Neal was damn smart and I helped him understand how to use his intelligence in a more lawful way. He had been a good person. He broke the law several times to help people out, save people's lives. He was my best friend and now I have to say goodbye to him because of Mathew Keller. He hired the sniper who killed Neal Caffrey. He is responsible for the murder of a good man." With that Peter concluded his short speech. Certain that by the end of the week Keller would be lucky to be sentenced to life in prison.

There were several more speeches, each either recalling some ridiculous feat done by the man or a way Neal had helped someone in need out. That day, both criminals and cops sat together without any judgment on either part. They had come here to pay their respects to a man who had had an influence in the lives of everyone he had come in contact with. A man who no longer walked among them. By the time the coffin was lowered into the ground, dusk had fallen. And the sun set on another day with Neal Caffrey.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so this turned out to be way more angst-y than I expected. I had written it as separate chapters but they were annoyingly short ones so I compiled them all into one. Thank you for reading and please review. I'd like to know whether this story worked for you and how I could have done it better. :-)**


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